Choosing the right ASL learning pathway for your student

Student language pathway	ASL Program
ASL as a first/additional primary language	Satellite School Program — for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who are developing ASL or use ASL as a primary language and require ASL for language access.
ASL as a second/additional language	Learn ASL — for students who are new to ASL, including Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and hearing students, and peers who want to learn ASL together.
Any high school student already fluent in ASL	ASL Challenge Exam — for eligible high school students who can demonstrate existing ASL proficiency for course credit.

Satellite School Program

The Satellite School Program supports Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who are developing ASL as a primary language and require ASL for language access. Programming typically runs from October to May. Exact schedules are established with participating school teams each year. The level of engagement and one of the three program components (Language Foundations for Literacy, ASL Chat, Literacy Resources) are determined by students’ needs and the school district’s access to resources. 

Language Foundations for Literacy

Who is it for? Deaf and Hard of Hearing students with low or no ASL who also have limited access to listening and spoken language, including students experiencing or at risk of language deprivation.

What does it look like? Direct online instruction in very small groups, typically three times per week for approximately 20 minutes. Small-group instruction supports individualized language development, peer language modelling and connection. Follow up activities to engage in learning throughout the day are also provided and vocabulary videos are encouraged to be shared with parents and peers. 

Instructional approach: Sessions are led by a Deaf ASL specialist, providing students with fluent, culturally grounded ASL language modelling. Vocabulary and activities are organized around common K–3 classroom themes.

Assessment and reporting: Students receiving direct online instruction through POPDHH receive pre- and post-assessment, ongoing progress monitoring and reporting to the school team.

In-person option and flexibility: When an appropriately skilled professional is available at the school, in-person instruction is recommended, particularly for younger students who may not learn effectively through a screen. POPDHH can provide program materials, consultation and ongoing support to the in-person instructor. When in-person instruction is not available, online instruction may be provided, and frequency can be adjusted to student and school needs if meeting three times per week is not feasible. 

POPDHH lead: Dana Zimmer     Contact Dana: dana@popdhh.ca

ASL Chat

Who is it for? Students who already have a foundation in ASL and benefit from regular access to signing peers and Deaf role models.

What does it look like? Students participate in small online groups of signing peers once per week. Groups are intentionally designed to support peer language modelling, communication and social connection.

Learning focus: Sessions may include ASL poetry, stories, Deaf culture, Deaf history, notable Deaf people and other topics that strengthen ASL communication, Deaf identity and community connection.

Assessment and reporting: Students receiving direct online instruction through POPDHH receive pre- and post-assessment of communication skills based on the BC Curriculum communication profiles, ongoing progress monitoring and communication with the school team about learning themes and progress.

POPDHH lead: David McGregor    Contact David: david@popdhh.ca

Literacy Resources

Who is it for? Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who use ASL and are developing written English literacy.

What does it look like? A toolbox of ASL-accessible literacy resources designed to help students build connections between ASL and written English.

Examples of resources: Adapted literacy materials, ASL video explanations of English grammar and language concepts, teaching tools, practice activities and assessment supports.

How is it used? Materials are implemented by the student’s school team. A POPDHH consultant can collaborate with the team to recommend appropriate resources and support their use.

POPDHH lead: Alana Haller      Contact Alana: alana@popdhh.ca

Register for Satellite Program – New students only. At the beginning of the school year, POPDHH will be in touch with existing students to continue programs.

Learn ASL

Learn ASL is designed for students who are new to ASL or are developing ASL as a second/additional language. It is open to Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and hearing students who are committed to building an inclusive community for their DHHDB peers. The Learn ASL program is a great program for hearing peers learning alongside a DHHDB student registered in the Satellite School Program. The programs supplement the BC curriculum with age-appropriate, school-centred opportunities to learn and use ASL while celebrating Deaf language, culture and community. POPDHH previously offered a small number of registration seats to deliver this programming in live virtual sessions. Due to scheduling constraints, space limitations and improving efficiency of instruction, we have moved to a self-paced virtual classroom open to many BC students at once, during times that work best for their learning settings. Each Learn ASL classroom is grouped by grade level and designed to engage students in those respective grades to foster a joy of learning ASL. 

Who can facilitate the learning? A classroom teacher, school sponsor teacher, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDHH), Deaf mentor or ASL instructor can facilitate the program locally. Digital content provides the core instruction, while the local facilitator supports practice, activities, projects and discussion.

Registration and pacing: Registration is typically shared in September and January. Programs are self-paced through Google Classroom. A suggested pace is approximately 30 minutes of ASL learning each week for an eight-week unit, with flexibility to extend learning through supplemental activities and projects. Exact annual dates are shared through POPDHH communications.

 

Learn ASL K–3 (evolved from our previous live ASL PLAY program)

Who is it for? Students in Grades K–3 who are new to ASL or learning ASL as an additional language. These are lessons specifically designed for students who have a DHHDB child in their school community. 

Format: Self-paced Google Classroom content built from pre-recorded sessions with a POPDHH Deaf ASL specialist. Students are exposed to fluent first-language ASL modelling from a Deaf adult.

Learning focus: Theme-based units introduce approximately 20 vocabulary items while going beyond vocabulary to include practical language use, introductory ASL sentence structure and grammatical features, Deaf culture, Deaf community and Deaf art.

Supplemental learning: Teachers and facilitators can extend each unit with hands-on activities, projects and opportunities for students to practise and apply ASL.

How can it be used? The program can be used with a whole class, small group or individual learner. It is especially valuable as a companion to Satellite School programming, allowing classmates to learn ASL alongside a Deaf or Hard of Hearing student who is receiving more intensive L1 ASL instruction.

Learn ASL 4–6 (evolved from our previous live ASL GAMES program)

Who is it for? Students in Grades 4–6 who are new to ASL or developing ASL as an additional language. These are lessons specifically designed for students who have a DHHDB child in their school community. 

Format: Self-paced Google Classroom units using age-appropriate slide decks, ASL video models, supplemental content, activities and projects.

Learning focus: Theme-based units connected to the BC curriculum introduce approximately 40 or more vocabulary items and extend learning into ASL grammar and structure, Deaf culture, Deaf community, art and history.

How can it be used? Flexible for whole-class instruction, small groups, individual learners or school/lunchtime clubs. When a Deaf or Hard of Hearing student is part of the school community, the program can help build a broader culture of communication, inclusion and shared learning.

Learn ASL 7–9 (evolved from our previous live ASL GAMES program)

Who is it for? Students in Grades 7–9 who are new to ASL or developing ASL as an additional language. These are lessons specifically designed for students who have a DHHDB child in their school community. 

Format: Self-paced digital units in Google Classroom designed for flexible use in classes, small groups, individual learning or school/lunchtime clubs.

Learning focus: Age-appropriate, theme-based units introduce approximately 50 or more vocabulary items and extend learning into ASL grammar and structure, Deaf culture, Deaf community, art and history through engaging activities, games and projects.

Pathway to high school ASL: The program provides a strong introductory foundation for students who may later choose to take ASL for high school second-language credit.

 

Register for Learn ASL K-9

Click on the appropriate link below to register. It is a two-step process: Once you register for the program, the last step of the registration will prompt you to register with Google Classroom (google account required, you may need to sign up for one).

Grade K – 3 registration form

Grade 4 – 6 registration form

Grade 7 – 9 registration form

 

ASL Level 1

Who is it for? Deaf and Hard of Hearing high school students seeking formal ASL second-language credit through POPDHH.

Course format: A live online course meeting twice weekly near the end of the school day with a Deaf ASL instructor/ASL specialist, combined with asynchronous content students complete independently. Coursework includes practice, homework, quizzes and a final exam.

Credit and reporting: A final grade is provided to the student’s school for the transcript. ASL Level 1 is equivalent to ASL 10 (also known as Introductory ASL 11).

Registration and timeline: Registration information is typically sent to school teams in June for courses beginning in the fall. Exact dates and deadlines are communicated in our newsletter each year.

ASL Level 2

Who is it for? Deaf and Hard of Hearing high school students continuing formal ASL study after Level 1.

Course format: A live online course meeting twice weekly near the end of the school day with a Deaf ASL instructor/ASL specialist, combined with asynchronous content, homework, quizzes and a final exam.

Credit and reporting: A final grade is provided to the student’s school for the transcript. ASL Level 2 is equivalent to ASL 11. Students are encouraged to complete both the Level 1 and Level 2 sequence for their second-language post secondary admissions. ASL Level 1 (Introductory ASL 11) may not meet all post-secondary second-language admission requirements, so students planning to use ASL for university admission are encouraged to complete Level 2 (ASL 11).

Registration and timeline: Registration information is typically sent to school teams in June for courses beginning in the fall. Exact dates and deadlines are communicated in our newsletter each year.

 

Note for hearing students: POPDHH’s ASL Level 1 and 2 courses are for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. Hearing students seeking ASL for high school credit can explore Burnaby Online or ASL offerings available through their local school district.

Learn ASL FAQs

Can I share this resource with parents of DHH students?
No, this resource is intended for school classrooms only.  Parents are able to access resources through Provincial Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.  

I am a TDHH with multiple students on my caseload, how do I register more than one student?

Once in the Google Classroom form, you can add as many of your students as possible.  Please share with your classroom teachers to access the Google classroom. It may be easier for each teacher who will be accessing the materials regularly to teach to sign up for their own DHH student as they can add their own google account in the form. 

 

What is the lesson structure?

20 minutes of videos/resources to share with expected 10-15 minutes of practice. We strongly encourage you to incorporate this in your weekly routines. Prompt students to recall the signs and use signs to identify items/names/places to start developing language. 

A new video and practice activities will be posted each week. Use the lessons with your whole class, small group, or lunchtime club. Join our open live celebration session in December.

 

Is this only for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students?

No, anyone is welcome to use this in the classroom.  We recommend the full class, or even similar age groups of the DHH student within the same school to access this resource.  The concept is so that the DHH student will be able to have peer to peer interaction on a daily basis.  The more language used by everyone, the more inclusive the environment created will be for the DHH student.  We have seen documented examples of hearing students becoming highly motivated and becoming TDHHs/Interpreters which are invaluable resources within our field.

 

Are there instructions for classroom teachers on accessing and using Google Classrooms?

Yes, please watch this step-by-step video guide.

 

I have a hard time accessing Google Classroom, I can’t open the link.

If you are not able to click on google classroom links, you will need to contact your district IT to mark these links as safe. 

 

ASL Challenge Exam

Who is it for? Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing High school students who already use ASL fluently and may be able to demonstrate the required proficiency without taking the full ASL course sequence.

What does it do? The challenge process allows eligible students to demonstrate their existing ASL proficiency toward high school ASL credit. Students receive a percentage for the exam to be added to their transcript.

Registration and administration: Registration is completed through the Delta School District challenge exam process in collaboration with POPDHH. POPDHH administers the ASL assessment. School teams should follow the current registration information provided each year.

Additional ASL Learning Resources

• External ASL Learning Resources — a curated resource document that may include ASL courses, stories, dictionaries, cultural resources and other learning supports.
• POPDHH ASL Video Resources — POPDHH-created ASL vocabulary videos YouTube playlist
• Interactive ASL Dictionary of Cities and Towns in BC — ASL resources for BC place names.
• ASL Learning for Staff: This self-paced, 10 hour course is designed for any school staff interested in learning the basics of ASL and making your schools inclusive welcome places for DHH learners.